166 Die In Kashmir Border Clash

July 09, 1999

After weeks of combat, Indian soldiers cleared nearly all Pakistan-based fighters from the mountains in one sector of northern Kashmir, a military spokesman said Friday. It was the first time Indian forces claimed to push the rebels back to the cease-fire line that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Meanwhile, two days of fighting in Muskhoh Valley, 65 miles to the southwest of Batalik and some four miles from Pakistan's border, has left at least 120 guerrillas and 44 Indian soldiers dead--the highest casualties in a single operation since fighting in the province began in early May, Indian officials said. The reports coincided with a statement by Pakistan's Cabinet-level defense committee asking Muslim insurgents to "help resolve" the crisis, which was seen as an implicit call for the rebels to withdraw from positions in Indian-controlled Kashmir.